Nigeria cannot avoid restructuring, says group

THE Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum yesterday said Nigeria can only ignore the urgency of restructuring to its peril.

The group, in its reaction to the Northern Leaders’ recent meeting, which decried the recent #EndSARS protest as a push for regime change, said restructuring should be annualised before the next general elections.

Rising from its meeting in Abuja, the group also said in its communique that the core North cannot dictate the possible course of action to the South.

The communique was endorsed by Chief Ek Clark (PANDEF Leader), AVM Idongesit Nkanga, Chief Broderick Bozimo, Mr Solomon Asemota (SAN), Senator Bassey Henshaw, Prof GG Darah, Chief T k O Okorotie, Chief Ayo Adebanjo (for Afenifere Leader), Mr Yinka Odumakin, Senator Kofoworola Akerele-Buknor, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, and Senator Femi OKurounmu.

Others include Chief Supo Sonibare, Chief Demola Folarin, Dr Akin Fapohunda, Chief John Nwodo (President General, Ohnaeze ), Chief Guy Ikokwu, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Chuks Muomah (SAN), Mike Ahamba(SAN), Madu Bright O Allwell, Chuks Achi-Okpaga, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, Dr Pogu Bitrus (President Middle Belt Forum), Air Cmdor Dan Suleiman, Dr S D Gani, Elder Stephen Bangoji, Hon Jonathan Asake, Mr Chris Aba, Mark Jacob and Festus Nyiwo.

The communique reads: :An emergency meeting of Southern and Middle Belt Leaders was held today in Abuja on some urgent business of national importance, the central one being the meeting of Northern States Governors with Northern emirs and chiefs and Arewa leaders in topmost positions in the current regime.

“The meeting coming aftermath of the ENDSARS protest when we should be putting heads together nationally to seek solutions to our problems is most distractive, divisive and made Nigeria widely scattered as against the ‘indivisibility’ and other non-sequitors that were regurgitated at the end of it

“Where would this country be heading to, if we also decide to call our own meeting with our Governors and top officials in the Federal government?

“We do not see any responsibility displayed by those who have been serially accused of sectionalising our national government to allow such in sensibility, insensitivity and total subversion of the unity of the country that only exists on the lips of those behind the meeting .

“It not also lost on us that the communique of the meeting was making space for National Executive Council nominations to a sectional initiative as the utmost level of disregard to the rest of the country whom they are treating as serfs when we are supposed to joint and equal stakeholders in project Nigeria.

“Meeeting wondered the quality of humanity of any group meeting at this period of mourning, not to have a word of compassion for those that were recklessly murdered by state forces and hired thugs during the protests.

“We reject the indecent approach to paint the peaceful protesters in dark colors. They made their demands clear and were orderly.

“It is wickedness to place “our power” above every other national interest by playing the “regime change” label on the peaceful protesters who were not armed like Boko Haram that the regime is chasing about with negotiations in the same spirit it has been cuddling and pampering killer herdsmen.

“We do not see the thougtfulness in the celebration of Northern youth not participating in ENDSARS protests as if they did not also loot like their deprived young people in other areas of the country, which shows they are suffering the same thing. But instead of treating leprosy our counterparts are dealing with eczema

“We foresaw all that is happening now, which is why we have been calling for restructuring as a multi – ethic country like Nigeria can only be run along federal lines.

“We were not oblivious of the damage the military did to this country by using fiat to create LGAs with headquarters in the villages of top shots mostly from the North. Kano State today has 44 Local Governments and Bayelsa has 80.When you want to recruit 10 policemen per LGA Bayelsa will have 80 and Kano 44O.That affects where the materials to be drawn into SARS and others are drawn. The inequalities multiply everywhere.”